Legendary singer song writer John Prine is in a critical condition following hospitalisation on Thursday last week after displaying Covid-19 symptoms and then intubated on Saturday.
His family place the following message on Twitter:
“After a sudden onset of Covid-19 symptoms, John was hospitalized on Thursday (3/26). He was intubated Saturday evening, and continues to receive care, but his situation is critical.
“This is hard news for us to share. But so many of you have loved and supported John over the years, we wanted to let you know, and give you the chance to send on more of that love and support now. And know that we love you, and John loves you.”
Following the news, Joan Baez dedicated this touching song to John and Fiona Prine:
In 2018, John released The Tree Of Forgiveness, and the following year he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In an interview with Folk Radio he was, as usual, upbeat and humourous when talking about the album: “Oh I’m very pleased with it,” Prine chuckles. “I’ve never had a record sound like this one before. I was really taking my time about making it; I mean, it’s been thirteen years since the last one. I thought I only had about four songs I really liked, but then Fiona [Prine, John’s wife] and Jody [Whelan, his son and record label director] came up to me and said ‘we think it’s time you made a record.’ So they put me in a hotel in Nashville, because they know I work better in a hotel than I do at home, and I took ten boxes of unfinished lyrics, three guitars and ukulele. They closed me up in there for a week and I slept all day and wrote all night, ordered room service at four in the morning… After forty-five years on the road, I’m more used to hotels than I am my own house.”
He also revealed how important a role his family played in the album. A few years before its release John lost his long-time manager and business partner Al Bunetta who also ran the record company. In our interview, he explained “so when he died it was a case of do we continue or sell it or what? So Fiona stepped in and started managing me and Jody came and ran the record company. I gave them a duet record For Better, or Worse a couple of years ago and they did really good with it, so when they asked for a new John Prine record, it was something I had to do for the family, and I can see that there’s family all over this thing. Finally, with everything I make, or when I’m on the road or selling records, everything goes straight to my children and my grandchildren, and that’s a really good feeling. Not many recording artists stay in it long enough to have a hundred percent control over everything.”
There not another singer like him, here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.